FOE FOLLOWED UP.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14288, 3 May 1917, Page 4

FOE FOLLOWED UP.

CAUGHT NAPPING BADLY AT

IRLES

[By Kiilip Gibbs.— Received\by Mail.], / „•; -With theßritish Armies in the i'-^yy z-- > v -s tvi" vVJField^ Mav^h.; 11.-, ; The- present Kta.c~hT^affa!ii's albhg'oui front on eajch Side af tjiO.-Ajicrp; is ver; quaint and interesting, -and. 1 more excite ment in.it than can Be f blind iii statio.n ary' trench warfare, -and Avithout ' tin deadly risk 'of an attack ov^r the top Anyhow, our hoys find it something o ■a game" to- He "following -'up old Fritz,' as they (Sail" it;, to 1 be getting into place; which he, has vacated dnly> a; few hours beibi'e (wheife! he • has left .many- . little things behind ' him which .coine, in quitt hahdy for 'young^officers- fin from billets and shopping centres) and tc be pushing out. nvith machine-guns and trench -Wortars^ to 'strafe the enemy in his' next>lstopr)in'g-place. ' - => At■■ y ..- --y .AMUSING RENCGNTRES.- \ .; -! It is noli.- easy to 'find- 'Sold Fritz" just now, and- he -is 'of teri*as.;mkch' Surprised as Jduf selves tby unexpected '.meetings between • the ! lines. . .-': The • .queerest '■ things, happen. *Up beypndl'' ''Jto&jfenol; i.Wood; wheri. I- ; went thebthier day— that Ms iiorth^weist' ;o f Gomm'ecOurtw-a • certain senior officer was strolling voUnd to .lobk ioV good ihore N Sense of danger- than' comes from the knowledge that- high- explosives are out and ahotiir He did not expect to be chased by. two Germans who -suddenly came out pi ia hole -in the ground before him. -. • Thttt is what happened,' and; he r 'had to run for it. There wa«,a too," who ft-as suddenly faced' -two. days agorby 1 six tall and ugly Pritssiahs^they, look. abominably .ugly at .it moment Hkfe this^^when he -believed the. nearest" of ' theM' to' be 'at v least 1000 .yards' ahwvy: They stared at. liim, and he stared -at them; 'and the Sergeant-major then took a- sharp 'turn half .right stopping to say' "Good day; gentlemen':'? . ; •; During - this ivithdrawal the enemy .has been successful on the whole iu '"mizzling off"' without, much lossl'y apart from the loss' -'of- rearguard posts, who know thfcy have been' left behind! as as sacrifice, and, -don't like it' a bit, thnilgh they put ,up a. game fight to the end'. . A. t.. '.«.-"! CAUGHT NAPPING AT ' IRL-ES. .>' ! Biit : ' yesterday niOrhihg • they ' were caught napping very- badly .ii\'lrles,aiK| our men Avere just two hours tp6' 1 earlyfor them. Tliey had arranged to move: at half -past' severe iirtlie morning, babk behind the' ; . barbed Avire belt- which , guards .the .Es'fi^rt>iinev but at half-past ,' five' in -a dank, Awhite "mist, oui' troops ma;4o a 'rapid! atdvance, streamed round . Irlesj and made »';bag of something, like i 300f 'prisoners >with a goodimany. machineguns -and ta'ench mortars. , • .y ■ ■ So-- iio\v.v with thcvtakhig> of -i Irlps,we are entering -into the possession ef>.ani.---othepv'-peri-g ,of •• German: dwelling. < placesfor -which>we-}>ayrno -rent,* but : find.-\veisy .-, convenient' and - comfortable as shelters,,, from German- shell fire. „.-'•■ A -■-.- ■ It is difficult to describe the Jeelings of .our-- men' who '«:o > forward to these places -and •explore them, and- settle down in thcim 'for .a. Sa.VAPV-two^ unless you have gazed afthem fon months, through narrow- slits,- in underground ichambers, , and- know that it would be easier to go . from life- to T etev|hity than to cross oyer the' enemy's wii^e- into .these .strongholds while, they- are i inhabited, by? ?nen with I, machine-gunsr and- protected- by massed IJUnSV ..'■'. •' *W-"-»^:' ,r-,— i ■''*■ •-.j , ENEMY, APARTMENTS. | ' Ytiu cannot imagine the thrill of walk- ( ingrf*me f day^initp. Gommecourt- or Mirau-, \ mont-'*tor'---tr.es« withoilt ; resistance,' and ] seeing". hV close r detail the way of life- l«i ] by.'-t!lie r nien v\;ho have been- 'doing their < best to -kill -you.- Tliere is something. ,un- j canny -Mnv' •handling the things- they haddled. in -sitting at the -tables where * they took their meals, in walking about 1 the-. ruins which*' our- guns made ' above J theSmA •■■ -V •' - --'•• • ■■■. - «- -,; .-.■> I 1 I had a> little! of -this thrill >.the day be- ' a fori* yc^terdfeyl when ; I walked through A 1 Goratriiecourt— Gommecourt -the, terrible; ' andrtlie'r gravsyard ; pf'. so marty,. brave ( English boyg-whef ell here ,on July.-l-r- < and":' up through , Gommeocurt '• parkj ! s wHSh- its ?iows;of. ?riven' trees,, to a" 'point ! I beyond and- to a far .-outpost where a• 1 little group of ilnglish soldiers, full, of ] spirit- and gaiety, in spite of the deadly < menace about them, had dragged up a j heavy trciieh ., mortar and- its .monstrous j winged shells which they were firing < into a. copse SDO yards away where { Fritz" SVafe'hblding out.-' x ' ( . The gas -alert «-as "bn"-^0 Lprdl^n , Fuilky; Villus: " Tlie 'wihd vwas blowing 1 , t strbrigiy fiom thg- nbrbh-feast, : ahd 'it was \ a G*rftian windv •Snow^was-- 1 falling' in 1 , heivV'-flSiiices 1 , roofs .and < thr 'fallen iiiasdhry- of the village- beyorid 4 which we l could not pass a > month ago t| wore all' \vhitb. . ; . ... .. ; • oGIH!ABTLYaGOMMECGURT^ '•• ' 1 So ''thVough 'the'^snow-ll -W'eiit^ -'"into y Gomint'Amrtf'-downia road pitt-ed withrecent shellholes,^ and- with' a youngAsol- ; dier-who said, "It's best to be, quick i along this tt-acik. ' It ain't a health *csort;^ ■•••■■'-■" •■'•■••■■ '■ ; ; • ■"'■■'■■■'•> y y .. It wis hot ia» pretty place at allj aud there ; wel;cf ; nasty noises about it,, as she'll* *Weht- Ringing 1 overhfead; but there ; was a sinister sens'e H Mf romaticfe,' .a- look of ; Vhitfei^aVid^ irtaked tragedy in' show-' covered) >Gommecourt. <(Dur guns « liad placed helT.^ith'the place;Athough ■ we could not 'capture it on July li '•:.'' ••'.■>.':;■..■ Thousands of 'shells, even millions, had flung it into ruin — the famous' chateau, the* church;, the ' grfeat barns, 'the > school-! hotise hnd all th'e buildings h&eyy Notva tree 1 iii-'Xvftat.' had' oncorbeen-!a noble- park 7 ' reiiiained unmutll^ted, Gn-the day bei'oreotftie GermlinK'-teft' a-Stok^s^mortal' ' battery -of! Pbv.*Afiredv 110& shel^ into (Sommecourt in a quarter qf -" ■ "REAL STREF^^ ADVE^TURE.^ "No-wPhde'r rold' Fritz' lef t in : _ hurry',". saVdAtlie "-young officer \vho had ifchiteyed; this^ccbud'.: HJe'chtiokted at th& thought of : H't, and 'as he ent through ' Gdmmfeooiirt'with me- '-pointed \' out witK' pride the "top-hole" letfiect 'of all'dUr giinfii'e.; To him, as a. gunner-,' all^ this -destruction was a good sight. He stopped in, front o f - a hole ' big enough 't6 ; bhry 'h) -ctomtry cottage, and said 'That, was done by n ld x. t-'a- 9,4s'treHch mortar.! •Some.. hole what?'' The 'iron pillars of the chateau. gates were still standing, though the. Chilean hadvgonc- d'dwu under our gunfire,'" and -near' .by was a ■ littjer -.of metal wdrb ■■•whfe.h' was 'once a- motorcar./i..: .•-"• y.'r-yyy ■ ■> - ■'■j :t - -'■ ■•• ' •fLooks"' a^' if 'sojqe German officer had had Ho walk „home,."( . said- the,, trenchmorfciir- officer, *Hyho' was- a humorous ;fel10W.'' v' ' ..''=•'•;• ' 'yy. 1 '" '• ; - ?""'''..:•,' So mahy of Hlfe- . young officers vof our^ are humorous ffelloWs and I-.'amf b'dund t<>' say that T .'iiqvfti'l met »• merrier: party' thutu' a little .16t; I found; at, a-Aspot -farbeyond 'Gommefcouif't,- .'where tlie eiieiny flings shells mOtftVof the day and night, so -that it- is a littef of brdken twigs and branches. - va,-; ' '- '"■•• A> tsergeant-muj^r took me : Up there and irftroduced-me to his officers. : ■■■-.-.•■ "This is the, real Street of Adventure, he said' "though it's -a long way from Fleet' street' VWhich ;T r -' thpught-- was pretty gobd, foi- n- sergeantrmajoy _metin a -on a held of battle. Jt appeared' -ttiat' there waW-to be- a trenehmortAr' !%tunt" in half aivhouy or so, and he wanted me to sec "the fun. \ -m A DKI3P* BUG-OUT. ,'' «• J^o through tlio driving 'show we. went' intothe bit of- -wood,- tramplnig--over;the broken twigs ::ahd -stepping aside 'from and "because of- • ' the ' nasty noises übput-^ hear Up music- in tlie song, of the shell^-I was- glad when the sergeant-major went down the entrance, of a dug-out and Called out for the officer. , . \ ■ ■.. Tt was pne of the deep German dug-c-nte.so 0r, 40 feet downy and. -very dark on tiie way. In the : room below, nicely panelled, were the merry- ■ grigs I ' had come to meet, and in less than a minute they had tfiade;^'.' welcome;' and in: less tharti five' I tt-as -sitting On a German chaHr at a German table; drinking Ger-mani'sodd-Avater^outf of 'German' jjkfcfee-, with A- party df English boys ; SCO yards from the German outpdsts 'oyer the'wavv Tliey told me how they had brought thfefr trench mbrt^i- up; -It whs an lute^ recofd'i and thdy \vere- as;proud and pleased as schoolboys' whb ; have won .a game.> Thc^' roared'with laughteivatnthe' «toVy. of ithe 'senior officer chaseduby two Baches, aiidl'roaired 1 again, when -the cap^ ».a'm sent round to the" "chemists' shop' neit door lor somt* more soda," water! and a bottle of Vvhisky;* '•"■ " ' '-' ■'-'•" •■'' Thev had" found thousands of -bottles of soda water) and thousands of bombs

t '-' . ' ' '-' ; — ~ ? and other things left behind in a hurry., g l including a. complete change of, women's ;•' clothing, now being ;\vorn- by .one oft our ['.Tommies badly : in heed of. clean, linen. , "Tliis dug : out is all •right," said one oi . the younger officers, "but you come and \ see mine.' It's absolutely priceless;" 5 . ; .So out I. went, into the blighted wood [. again, and then into the other dug-out, \ which ' was one of a series, of underground! rooms. : - - -i -■ •>-■-. It-fjvas one of. the best .-specimens of ,- Germane architecture I have ever seen piv a hattleneld. ■'• -It was not only- panelled '. but papered.; .lt wasi furnished elegantly ■ with a .washhand.-stand and a glided miiv. ; roV; and German icok>recl-. prints— rand not ; all 'our &hells v could touch it, because oi its, depth, below the ground. „\. . -..- . ••• j .... I saw-, the -trench-mortar "stunt," which i . flung- 'Up- volcanoes im v the German grbund, and stood out in the snow with a ; party of men who had! nothing - between them and* I<he enemy but .a- narrow stratoh of -. shel 1-broken earth,- :! and ,. ,went away ■ from = thp- wood just as. the ejiemy began -shelling -it again,- and, -sat down ur|d<sr : thtV bank-, with< one of the - officers when the; enemy- 'bracketed-' the road iback-Ayith -.'whizz-bangs*- and .stopped on .. the vay? to take a- cup of tea in another 'dugrout, and to make-friends withr.other men-. -who were following ■•< up .the- .enemy, 'andl; moving --into G firm an apartments for a -night or so, before- they v; go. further on, ■with- that.jyec-ii; and spirited courage Ayhicii iSrthe only; good -thing; -in. -this- waiv-. i'. [They are mqsfcly.;,boysr— rt -ani a* Rip • Van Winkle to tliem^and' with the • heart of boyhood* they -take deadly '-risks' lightly •mid. make u> good joke of, a ha-d business, and : ave^ Very sometimes ano rh^fcava- joke jpf -that, and ,'am gi'eat soldiers though -they \\;er.e ne.ycr meant- for the; trade. /'The" 'enemy is falling-back still;, but:, these boys of ours .are catch-, ivigvhim up;. and: : are , quick iii pursuit. in:"spite of the- foul gi'fitind and the foul [weather and tbe^haJ'vage.of., his. guns.